"Evgeni Malkin's career is plummeting fast": Pens fans irate at veteran's own goal in embarrassing 5-2 loss to Arizona Coyotes 

During Monday's matchup against the Arizona Coyotes, the Pittsburgh Penguins began the third period as usual, but it quickly turned into an embarrassing night for veteran Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang on the blue line.

During the third period, the Pens had possession of the puck while facing a delayed penalty. Kris Letang passed the puck to Evgeni Malkin, who couldn't handle it, and the puck slid into the Penguins' empty net.

The own goal gave the Coyotes a 4-2 lead, and it was credited to Lawson Crouse for his final touch before reaching the Pens player.

The moment seemed to take the wind out of Pittsburgh's sails, and shortly after, Nick Bjugstad scored on an easy breakaway opportunity to seal a dominating 5-2 win for the Coyotes.

Pittsburgh Penguins fans were left frustrated with Evgeni Malkin's effort that resulted in an own-goal and shared their reactions on X, formerly Twitter.

One fan tweeted:

"Malkin’s career is plummeting fast"

Here are some more reactions:

How did Arizona Coyotes beat Evgeni Malkin and Pittsburgh Penguins?

The Arizona Coyotes hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins at Mullet Arena on Monday. The Coyotes put up a dominant performance and drove out the Penguins with an emphatic 5-2 win.

In the first period, Jason Zucker made it 1-0 for the Coyotes (2:23 into the first period). This was the only goal scored in the first period.

At the 4:50 mark of the second period, Lars Eller's wrist shot goal off Pierre-Olivier Joseph's assist tied it for the Penguins. Seven minutes later, a goal from Juusu Valimaki restored the 2-1 lead for Arizona.

Pens captain Sidney Crosby continued with his impressive form as his tip-in goal off Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang tied it 2-2 for Pittsburgh before Alex Kerfoot further put the Coyotes on a one-goal advantage before heading into the final period.

The Arizona Coyotes continued with their dominance and made the Penguins search for goals throughout the period. A silly mistake from Letang and Malkin on the blue line resulted in their own goal to extend the Coyotes' advantage to 4-2. The goal was credited to Lawson Crouse.

Nick Bjugstad's goal at the 7:04 mark of the third period was the fifth for the Coyotes. Notably, this was the second consecutive defeat for the Pens, who sit seventh in the Metro Division with 48 points.